Hawthorn… Not a bad season given the list they have at their disposal. From a fantasy perspective, almost leaked as many points as Norf and didn’t fare too well collecting them either!

In these reviews, we will take a closer look at each club’s Fantasy snapshot for season 2022, whilst I nominate players for MVP, best rookie and biggest flop. I will also provide my two cents on what to look out for in 2023!

*For the purposes of these articles, Fantasy numbers are from the H&A season only.

Most Valuable Player (MVP)

As much as it pains me to admit it, James ‘Sic Dawg’ Sicily was undoubtedly Hawthorn’s best player this season even without his fantasy numbers! Even to the casual follower of Fantasy Fanatic, you would have witnessed yours truly lament Sic Dawg’s incredible run of form on multiple occasions throughout 2022… Anyway f*ck you James, hit someone already you cat. At times Hawthorn’s game plan seemed to be an absolute piss take with blokes happy to kick it 30m backwards just so Sic could get his hands on it. When it was all said and done, Sic played every game and averaged 96 – a fantastic return for a guy coming off a serious knee injury! The amazing thing was coaches only needed to cough up $510K to start the season. Sic also managed to peak at exactly the right time with three consecutive tons from R21-R23 including an absurd 151 (28k, 16m) to finish the season! A well deserved MVP and selection at D6 in Fantasy Fanatics All Australian team.

Best Rookie

Fair to say Sammy Mitchell was not afraid to expose his young boys to the big time in 2022! From a rookie perspective, we got a taste of the likes of Josh Ward, Connor McDonald, Finn Maginness, Sam Butler, Emerson Jeka, Ned Long, Jai Serong and Jack Saunders. After turning heads during the AAMI series, it was Josh Ward who stood out above the pack – unfortunately peaking at the wrong end of the season for coaches! While he did have his injury concerns over 2022, ‘Psychiatric’ displayed his ability to find the pill on his way to averaging 72 in 14 games. You imagine he will become a key cog in the Hawks engine room for seasons to come!

Biggest Flop

You could really make a case for any of the following Hawks:

• Tom ‘Former Pig’ Mitchell – Averaged 96 in 21 games.
• Chad Wingard – Averaged 56 in 10 games.
• James Worpel – Averaged 52 in 11 games.
• Jarman Impey – Averaged 62 in 16 games.

Given how sh*t Worpel and Wingard were, I’m going to rule out both Impey and Mitchell. There’s isn’t really much that splits these two who turned in career worst seasons respectively! I’m going to give it Worpel by virtue that he scored 10 points from 72% time on ground vs St Kilda in R4. 10! Genuinely hard to do, congrats James!

2023 Watchlist

Did someone say cleanout? Okay, we knew they were in a rebuilding phase but sheesh, I don’t think anyone expected a cleanout of this proportion! Gunston, Mitchell and O’Meara all out the door as the Hawks look toward the next generation to take them forward. In fairness, they did add some experience in Karl Amon, Lloyd Meek and Cooper Stephens. Amon will be interesting from a fantasy perspective. He did have a great ceiling at Port but I’m not sure he gets the same quality supply on the outside at the Hawks. I like Cooper Stephens if he gets a crack early – a big bodied mid that will fill a void left by O’Meara and Mitchell. He’ll join the likes of Newcombe and Ward in a young, raw midfield! Elsewhere, Dyl Moore was a surprise packet in 2022 and will definitely be unique heading into season 2023 – he seemed to get it done all over the ground! If you are looking to start with the Sic Dawg, you’ll be paying top dollar for his services!

So there you have it folks, the tenth of the Fantasy Fanatic’s 2022 Reviews! Stay tuned for more new content, Melbourne are up next.

Let me know your thoughts in the comments below! Feedback, comments and banter welcome.

Cheers legends,

Fantasy Fanatic #70